The rise of online shopping has ripple effects that impact not only the retail industry. Consumers' increasing tendency to shop online is also having effects in the home improvement industry. To analyze industry behaviors, the Home Improvement Research Institute (HIRI) partnered with The Farnsworth Group to survey nearly 1,700 contractor professionals, including remodelers and specialty tradespeople.
The survey found the east and west coasts to be the most prince-sensitive for online purchases, while contractors in the midwest and south placed a higher value on convenience to the jobsite. Nearly half of self-identified generalists and specialists reported purchasing more products online than in 2018 and the same amount reported spending more money online than in the previous year.
The Farnsworth Group also found larger contractor companies are increasing their online spend, but many still buy the majority of their products in-store. The wide variety of products available online was the biggest reported factor in online purchasing, followed by prices, according to the survey. Additionally, the increases in online purchasing in the contractor cohort was driven by those under the age of the 35.
To summarize the results on professional contractors' online purchasing behavior, HIRI produced a infographic freely available for download.
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